Word Dictionary [160415]

Word of the day: causeDefinition: n. & v. a that which produces an effect, or gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition. b a person or thing that occasions something. c a reason or motive; a ground that may be held to justify something (no cause for complaint).Synonyms: reason, groundsEtymology: ME f. OF f. L causa (more…)

pronunciation: kɔ:z

from Oxford: cause

n. & v.–n.1 a that which produces an effect, or gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition. b a person or thing that occasions something. c a reason or motive; a ground that may be held to justify something (no cause for complaint).2 a reason adjudged adequate (show cause).3 a principle, belief, or purpose which is advocated or supported (faithful to the cause).4 a a matter to be settled at law. b an individual’s case offered at law (plead a cause).5 the side taken by any party in a dispute.–v.tr.1 be the cause of, produce, make happen (caused a commotion).2 (foll. by to + infin.) induce (caused me to smile; caused it to be done).Phrases and idioms: in the cause of to maintain, defend, or support (in the cause of justice). make common cause with join the side of.Derivatives: causable adj. causeless adj. causer n.Etymology: ME f. OF f. L causa

from Wordnet: cause

n 1: events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something; “they are trying to determine the cause of the crash” 2: a justification for something existing or happening; “he had no cause to complain”; “they had good reason to rejoice” [syn: reason, grounds] 3: a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; “he supported populist campaigns”; “they worked in the cause of world peace”; “the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant”; “the movement to end slavery”; “contributed to the war effort” [syn: campaign, crusade, drive, movement, effort] 4: any entity that causes events to happen [syn: causal agent, causal agency] 5: (law) a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy; “the family brought suit against the landlord” [syn: lawsuit, suit, case, causa]v 1: give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; “cause a commotion”; “make a stir”; “cause an accident” [syn: do, make] 2: cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner: “The ads induced me to buy a VCR”; “My children finally got me to buy a computer”; “My wife made me buy a new sofa” [syn: induce, stimulate, have, get, make]

Quote of the day: All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired. by Martin Luther

Louis the Pious

Birthday of the day: Louis the Pious; Louis the Pious (778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor (as Louis I) with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. As the only surviving adult son of Charlemagne, he became the sole ruler of the Franks after his father’s death in 814, a position which he held until his death, save for the period 833–34, during which he was deposed.

Joke of the day: An old man walks into a bar, sits down, and starts crying. The bartender asks, ‘What’s wrong?’ The old man looks at the bartender through teary eyes and between sobs says, ‘I married a beautiful woman two days ago. She’s a natural blonde, twenty-five, intelligent, a marvelous cook, a meticulous housekeeper, extremely sensitive to my wants and needs, very giving, my best friend, and intensely passionate in bed.’ The bartender stares at the old man for a brief moment and says, ‘But that sounds great! You have what every man wants in a woman, so why are crying?’ The old man looks at the bartender and says, ‘I can’t remember where I live!’

Thought of the day: A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Fact of the day: 1457 BC – Likely date of the Battle of Megiddo between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh, the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail.

Biography of the day: Richard Avedon; Richard Avedon (15 May 1923-1 Oct. 2004), photographer, was born in New York City to Jacob Israel Avedon (pronounced AV-uh-don) and Anne Polonsky. His father, an orphaned Jewish ?migr? from Russia, rose from menial employment in Manhattan’s garment district to become the owner of a successful women’s clothing store in the city. The elder Avedon taught his son frugality from an early age and assumed he would become a businessman. However, Richard Avedon’s exposure to the city’s wealth of culture drew him to the arts. That exposure included not only visits to concerts and museums but also hearing the Russian-born pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, a neighbor of his maternal grandparents, practicing tirelessly next door during Richard’s frequent visits to their apartment. A seminal moment in his life occurred at the age of seven when he was given a box camera and used it to take a photograph of Rachmaninoff backstage after a Carnegie Hall performance.

Article of the day: Vernon Sturdee; Sir Vernon Sturdee (1890–1966) was an Australian Army officer. During the First World War he participated in the landing at Gallipoli and the fighting on the Western Front. Promotion was stagnant between the wars, and he remained at his wartime rank of lieutenant colonel until 1935. He had little faith in the strategy of basing a fleet at Singapore, and warned that the Army would have to face a well-equipped Japan. As Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, he conducted a doomed defence of the islands to the north of Australia against the Japanese. He later commanded the First Army in New Guinea in 1944–45, directing the fighting at Aitape and on New Britain and Bougainville. He was charged with destroying the enemy without committing his troops to battles that were beyond their strength. When the war ended, he took the surrender of Japanese forces at Rabaul. He succeeded Sir Thomas Blamey as Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces in December 1945, and was Chief of the General Staff again from 1946 to 1950. During this time, he had to demobilise the wartime Army while fielding and supporting part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan.

Did you know: a) that Megalictis ferox, a species of extinct predatory mustelid, resembled a modern wolverine but with three times the body mass? b) that Hugh Carless, who accompanied travel writer Eric Newby on an expedition to Northern Afghanistan in 1956, later served as the British ambassador to Venezuela? c) that the Burmese-Siamese War of 1548-49 saw the legendary death of Ayutthaya’s Queen Suriyothai during elephant-mounted combat (statue pictured)? d) that Julian Konstantinov, the brother of Bulgarian volleyball team captain Plamen Konstantinov, is an opera singer?